


Naps

by Crucified_To_A_Star



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insomnia, Light Angst, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Napping, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Sleepy Cuddles, Slice of Life, this is entirely soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23661037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crucified_To_A_Star/pseuds/Crucified_To_A_Star
Summary: Intimacy can come in many forms. Sometimes it is as simple as protecting those you love from the world as they sleep.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Moon Taeil
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Naps

**Author's Note:**

> So! This is a re-write of a quick-fic I wrote for another fandom ages ago and I really wanted to add more detail and fix it up a bit. The original is still on tumblr if you ever look for it lol
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy and thank you Aly for the perfect ship to do this with.

Taeyong doesn’t sleep _well_.

He usually spent most of his nights pacing a room until Taeil would drag him to bed, though sleep still would not come. Warm sheets that bled the watery scent of Taeil’s cologne weren’t always enough for Taeyong’s mind to shut down, for his body to understand rest. Thoughts of himself, the world, and curiosities on existence were enough to keep his eyes open and his breath even, the light snores of his partner next to him a white noise he found perfectly familiar and wonderfully comforting. It wasn’t that he _wasn’t_ tired, more or less that sleep was just something that felt more of a _luxury_ than a _necessity_.

So, Taeyong would take naps.

Around three in the afternoon was when the ache behind his eyes would become too much, the tar in his joints stiffening just enough. His body would ask for the feeling of floating in nothingness and who was he to deny himself the pleasure any longer? 

Taeyong would crawl into bed, his eyes shutting and his body liquefying in relief at the soft sheets and heavy blankets. The sensation of being completely encased in something so warm and comforting finally soothing the frayed edges of his nerves. He often wondered why this wasn’t as pleasant in the dead of night, but the answer was simple: daylight was safer than the demons hiding in the dark. Taeyong always entered the room alone, quiet as a breath of air, and curled into the sheets that way, as well. He wouldn’t remain alone long, though, his company was always two steps behind. 

Taeil would join eventually. 

Taeil always joined.

Sure, Taeil would stay up late at night, occasionally watching the sky turn from black to orange, but his sleep was much more regular than Taeyong’s and he rarely found himself going without. In these times, though, Taeil would never sleep, exhaustion not clinging to him like a century old curse as it did Taeyong. He was never tired during these moments, never felt the need to crawl under the covers and sleep for hours. 

Taeil didn’t join for the sleep.

Taeil’s reason for trailing in after Taeyong, footsteps following a well worn path, body settling into his side of the mattress, was far different than Taeyong’s.

Taeil would watch Taeyong for the next two or so hours as the love of his life went on a journey he couldn’t follow. He would sit, sifting his fingers through his hair, tugging at the blonde fluff and knots gently. He would admire the way Taeyong’s nose would flare as he exhaled, his eyes crinkling as he dreamt, sometimes the murmur of private conversations passing his lips. He would admire the way that Taeyong’s squared jaw would twitch and occasionally clench, the way his legs would fiddle and bump together. He’d be sure to keep Taeyong under the covers, keep his head on the pillow, keep the world quiet just long enough that his partner could rest enough to stay sane. 

Taeil would later tease Taeyong for the way he dribbled in his sleep occasionally, for some of the things he whispered in his sleep, and for the way his eyes were always red rimmed and cheeks flushed pink after a nap.

Taeil wouldn’t ask what kept him up the night before; he wouldn’t ask what was haunting his mind and stopping sleep from arriving in a timely manner. 

Taeil wouldn’t ask because Taeil already knew the answers. 

Taeil worried a lot about Taeyong, but he knew the signs from the elder that showed he needed help. He never asked verbally, instead opting for heavy gazes, rounded shoulders, and the distinct absence of music that was always emanating from whatever room he occupied. Taeil had grown accustomed to the signs over the years. Taeil always knew what to look for. 

So, whenever Taeyong wandered into his room, silent as a ghost, his feet so quiet they might as well have not graced the ground, Taeil would follow. He would sit up with Taeyong’s head against his chest or in his lap or perched on the pillow next to his thighs. He would watch as he drifted away, sleeping off the exhaustion that hung off of him like moss. He would watch as Taeyong’s mind stopped overheating and he would watch as the stress creases and tenseness disappeared, body finally allowing itself to settle down. He would watch as Taeyong healed himself, watched as he became whole once again.

Everything about these moments felt far more intimate than he ever assumed they could have been. There was something so heavy, so private, so comforting about just sitting with Taeyong against him as he slept part of the day away; a different kind of connection that he couldn’t find anywhere else and couldn’t recreate with any other scenario. Taeil had never felt this type of emotion with anyone else. When someone had mentioned intimacy, he had always thought of sex and sleeping together in the same bed; those were intimate, a way to connect, the best way to form intimacy, he thought. This, though, this was completely different in a way he had never expected. There was a trust within these moments, a soft _please protect me_ that came from it. They were indescribable. They made Taeil’s heart swell with the rawness of emotions that always gathered in his chest from them. He thought that those would disappear with time. Despite the years, they never did. 

Whenever Taeyong awoke, Taeil would offer a cup of tea or water to aid in the awakening process, watching the elder smack his lips and rub his eyes. He’d always make the same joke of _welcome back_ as if Taeyong had left and maybe he had. Maybe the naps were a way to escape, or maybe it was just pure exhaustion from the prior night. Either way, Taeil would sit with him through it, quiet and comforting, an anchor to the real world. Taeyong wouldn’t say it, didn’t know how to say it, but he was thankful for the company. He was thankful for the tether to a reality he was confused by. He was thankful for the one purely good thing in his life. He was thankful for the way that the warmth from Taeil’s body felt like the sun on a cold day and he was thankful for the way that Taeil never seemed to burn him. He was thankful for the protection, the security. He was thankful for _Taeil_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed :) <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/MidnightPasses)
> 
> [CC](https://curiouscat.me/MidnightPasses?t=156572385)


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